Ready, Set, Go!
Luke 19:28-40
Today we are at the beginning of Holy Week, we have been following Luke’s history of the church in acts and now we are looping back to the week before the crucifixion of Jesus.
I am not trying to surprise you with this change of direction I am just jumping to match the Christian year. Holy Week is the common name for the week which precedes the Easter celebration.
Today is Palm Sunday the day Jesus enters Jerusalem for the Passover feast. We ail get back to that in a few minutes.
Next day in the calendar is Maundy Thursday which is the evening when the disciples gather for the meal we celebrate today as the last supper, Holy Communion or the Eucharist – Thanks Giving.
Then we have Good Friday is the day we commorate the death of Jesus christ on the cross. We as will many other churches, have a one of our special services, with Oostnallua and Rush Chapel.
Easter vigial happends early on the mornig on Sunday and we trypically celebratate as a Sunrise service. This year we will Gather at Rush Chapel for the serice and enjoy a breakfast together.
This season is a very special time for christians as we review what the Bible records of this time in history.
Much of the Bible covers hundreds of years and sometimes centuries in a chapter. And while this weel long period still moves very fast in the Gospel accounts in comparison the story comes as close to a real time feeling like no other plce in scripture.
--Turtle Races –
Every Wednesday evening for the past 43 years between June 6th and August 16th, the people of Nisswa, Minnesota and the surrounding communities gather at a designated parking lot for the weekly races.
It’s big excitement and big business and starting at 2 PM about 350 people gather on the starting line to race their …. turtles.
Vendors rent turtles; others sell "turtle products."
And the fans gather early, placing their chairs and blankets in the best viewing sites. In one recent contest, 435 turtles raced in heats of fifteen over a six-foot-long course.
Bif, the announcer, calls the turtles to their mark, gives them the "Go!" . . . and the crowd goes wild.
People stand, jump, and wave their hands in the air, encouraging their turtles to be unturtle-like.
The excitement grows and finally reaches a boiling point as the preliminary winners all gather for the championship race.
Amid unrestrained shouts and cheers, the first turtle crosses the finish line, and the winning "trainer" receives five dollars—along with a turtle necklace.
You know, Nisswa, Minnesota must be an exciting place. For people to gather rain or shine for this event puts me on the edge of my seat.
But, I wonder, do you think the people just go there to see if some unfortunate turtle looses control and crashes.
When we look at the event of Palm Sunday, I wonder what was the draw?
What made the crowds come out and give an enthusiastic response to Jesus entering the city?
Jesus is a popular Rabbi and there is a good chance that lots of people had heard of him because of the miracles.
Likely some happened to be there because of a personal touch from him. Don’t you think you would try to go to Jerusalem if you had been healed as a pilgrimage in gratitude to God?
Then others may have known of Jesus potentially by the reputation that the Jewish authorities had created. As a trouble maker and blasphemer.
But I would think for the most part, the people did not really have a clue why they were celebrating the entry of this man on a donkey and the group traveling with him.
Jesus and his followers had come from Jericho where He had met Zacchaeus the Tax Collector and had dinner in his home. He tells the parable of the 10 minas and they are approaching Bethany and Bethpage and Jesus picks two disciples and sends them ahead to get a colt which had never been ridden.
It seems that Jesus and the rest of the groups wait at the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is a hill outside of Jerusalem, which Luke tells us elsewhere is a “Sabbath day’s journey” from Jerusalem (Acts 1:12).
He has walked about 6 and a half miles up and down hills from Jericho to get to where he is. But I am pretty sure that after such a short distance he would not really be that tired. We don’t hear that Jesus ever actually rode any animal before. So, I think that this event should catch our attention.
He sends the men with some instructions. If anyone asks you, ’Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ’The Lord needs it.’ "
He sends to men into the village to pick up a ride. A donkey was a valuable animal. It was a bit like being a construction worker and owning a good pickup truck.
So, Jesus sends these men into town to someone they don’t know to borrow the donkey, he does not tell them to ask permission or to offer an extravagant explanation if questioned.
It was going pretty good, there was the colt just as they had been told. And they just go up and start untying the animal. And the owners, say “hey, what do you think you are doing?”
I don’t know what they would do to donkey thieves in that day but, I would think it might be similar to what I have seen in the movies of the old west.
The amazing thing to me is that the two men do just what Jesus told them to do. They don’t say, “ Oh, sorry, I thought this was my friends animal, or don’t is understand, the ropes looked loose and we were fixing them for you.
They just say, “The Lord needs it.”
We don’t here of questions or a fuss, the next thing we here they are throwing their coats over the animal and boosting Jesus onto its back.
As I understand it the odds of a normal person getting on the back of an unbroken donkey and staying there more than a few seconds is a pretty amazing detail. But, I just see it as sign of God’s power over animals.
So, if Jesus was not really tired, what is the point of borrowing a ride?
It was a way of declaring that he was a king. He is fulfilling a prophesy from Zachariah 9.
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Luke does not mention the connection to Zachariah but, Matthew and Mark do in their accounts of the same event.
Jesus is making a nonverbal statement that he is the messiah. The way Jesus gets the use of the animals is and statement of his authority and even power over the environment and setting. He can use anything he wants because it is all his. He can make use without permission and can even control and potentially volatile animal.
The scripture continues in37-38:
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Have you been on a long drive to a vacation spot and had you spirits lifted as you approach the destination. The excitement that was alive before all the long boring miles comes back.
Someone going to Disney world might starting singing the Mickey Mouse club theme song as they make the turn to the theme park.
When these pilgrims hit the top of the hill on the Mount of Olives they can suddenly see the walls of Jerusalem. They are coming into the city on the side where the Temple is and they are high enough to actually be able to see the temple courts and the walls of the Holy of Holies.
As they start down the hill they break into songs, Psalms which express the joy they are feeling having made it to the city, and the celebration. A few months ago we talked about the psalms and how they were the hymnal for Jewish worship. Psalm 118 is called an antiphonal psalm and was used by pilgrims as they approached the temple. It was sung like we did part of it this morning. Sung as those inside the temple and those approaching the temple.
The group starts singing psalms that represent the coming of messiah.
And then some Pharisees in the crowd tell Jesus to correct his disciples. To get control over their celebration.
Their reasons would have been because it would be blastfemus for anyone to accept the praise that belongs to the Lord. This prophet needed to get control over these disciples because they were buying into the idea that this country rabbi was the messiah and anyone with decency would be appalled.
Jesus offers a strange reply, "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
From his simple birth in a stable, through a life where he only owns the clothes on is back. He repeatedly stated that it was not yet his time to reveal or offer signs of who he is. When people try to worship him he stops them. After he heals a person he tells them to keep it a secret.
But now as they move across the valley and approach Jerusalem he refuses to stop the response of the disciples and the crowds that are getting caught up in the excitement of the moment.
Jesus allows the praise and even suggests that if the people failed to praise him then the rocks, nature, would offer its own chorus. His time has finally come!
Jesus is saying that the people can’t help themselves.
They have seen the wonders and know that they are in the presence of God.
What else can they do?
How do we react to the triumphal entry of Jesus into our lives? Is it an oddity like turtle races which offer temporary glory and acknowledgement?
Today when we waved the branches and saying hosannas did we relive the excitement of the moment in history when the messiah was made knows or feel any joy of our personal meeting?
It is awfully easy for us to take all our blessings and situations for granted. It is easy to forget the level of mercy we have already received.
It is easy to stand around on the edge of the parade and never explore that the excitement of the moment offers even more meaning and joy.
Our celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem and about to end his journey is a reminder that we are also on a journey.
I hope that you will purposefully walk with Jesus during this week and notice what being his time means to us. Notice that he went ahead knowing the unpleasantness and pain that were just ahead. He went ahead because he loved you and me and he knew that all he faced was going to be worth it because he was doing it for someone he lived.
All Glory be to God.
